Editor’s Brief¹

Last Week we looked at REGENT Defense building high-speed, efficient, and low-signature craft that skim just above the waves. We released our full interview with CEO Billy Thalheimer last week. Check it out on Spotify or YouTube.

This week, we’re staying in the maritime domain, covering LeVanta Tech and their Float and Fly drone.

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Signal Brief: LeVanta Tech – Float-and-Fly Maritime Drone

LeVanta Tech is developing HALIA, a “float-and-fly” unmanned drone that bridges the gap between maritime persistence and rapid aerial redeployment. HALIA can rapidly fly to contested areas, land on the ocean to loiter for weeks, then relaunch to reposition or exfiltrate.

Origins & Vision

Founded in 2023, LeVanta Tech began by addressing real-time maritime monitoring in the offshore wind industry before pivoting to a defense-first, commercial-second focus. Its leadership team brings technical and operational expertise:

• Kelly Echols, CEO & Founder – Nearly two decades of engineering and patent law experience guiding startups

• Jon Smith, Chief Aviation Officer – 20+ years in manned and unmanned aviation, including as a P-3C Orion instructor pilot and Pilot/UAS Test Project Manager for a U.S. Navy test and evaluation squadron

• Johnny Doo, CTO – 40+ years in aircraft and hovercraft development

LeVanta bootstrapped a prototype HALIA and was selected as one of six finalists (from 260 applicants) in the 2024 Gulf Blue Navigator accelerator. A demo that same year generated Air Force interest, leading to a $1.8M Direct-to-Phase II SBIR award.

By combining variable buoyancy with hovercraft-style launch and high-speed flight, LeVanta remains focused on its mission: delivering a versatile persistent sea-launched drone that enhances distributed maritime operations for both defense and civilian sectors.

Key Takeaways

• Multi-Domain Persistence – Loiters for weeks in “free float mode,” then redeploys at speed when required.

• Sea State Resilience – Rough-sea capable launch expands operational windows.

• Distributed Sensor Networks – Extends comms and ISR coverage with flexible payload integration.

• Contested Environments – Low-profile floating and rapid high-speed flight increase survivability

Tech Radar:

HALIA Float-and-Fly Drone

HALIA is designed to be attritable yet survivable; low-cost enough for risk-tolerant missions, but built with stealth and evasiveness to avoid detection or targeting.

LeVanta is developing Group 2+ HALIA platforms: a battery-electric model for tactical ops and a hybrid-electric model with extended range. Both can scale into larger platforms

Key Capabilities

• Stealth & Survivability – Low surface profile, low-altitude flight combined with high-speed maneuverability (100+ knots) for rapid ingress and exfil.

• Persistent Loiter – Engine-off “free float” mode enables weeks-long endurance with minimal power draw.

• Adaptive Launch & Recovery – Variable buoyancy + hovercraft-assisted water launch/landing enable takeoff/landing in rough seas

• Multi-Mission Flexibility – Modular payload bay and autonomous control integrate ISR, EW, kinetic, and comms packages into wider C2 networks.

Market Signals

Funding & Growth

• Total Funding: $1.1M+ (bootstrap + early round)

• Latest Round:  $800K Credit Investment (April 2025)

• Notable Investors: Leonid Capital Partners

• Valuation: Undisclosed

Contracts & Government Traction

• AFRL SBIR Phase II (Dec ‘24) – “Floating and Loitering Ocean Advanced Technology Sensing” contract, $1.76M through Dec 2026.

• Gulf Blue Navigator (2024) – One of six finalists (from 260 applicants), with Navy partnership support.

• Navy Experimentation – Invited to participate in USNAVSO/FOURTHFLT Fleet Experimentation event.

Looking Ahead

The small drone market has exploded, with dozens of companies globally building Group 1–3 systems. In the U.S., AeroVironment, Skydio, Firestorm Labs, and Teal Drones headline a crowded field, alongside consumer-origin FPV manufacturers pushing dual-use products into defense.

The result is a fragmented ecosystem: militaries have a growing number of options, but producers face a rapidly commoditizing market.

Quadcopters have become homogenous: compact frames, swappable payloads, short-duration missions. The speed of iteration in Ukraine is pushing differentiation away from platform design and toward production efficiency and price point. Incentives now point squarely toward scale and throughput

Groups 2+ follow a similar path: fixed-wing ISR platforms that extend endurance but still rely on basing, launch gear, or recovery nets. Even with autonomy and swarming advances, their design logic remains tethered to land.

In other words, despite the diversity of suppliers, the global drone market remains surprisingly narrow: almost everything is optimized for short-distance land missions, not the sea.

Which is why HALIA stands out. LeVanta Tech is betting on maritime specialization. HALIA’s “float-and-fly” design is built to persist at sea for weeks, act as a node in distributed sensor and communications networks, and then redeploy at speeds exceeding 100 knots.

Uncrewed Surface Vessels with multi-month endurance will also play an important role, but most are limited to 10–20 knots. Valuable for dwell time, but lacking the speed to reposition.

In a fight across the ocean, where ships may be separated by hundreds of miles, there isn’t a single quadcopter that can carry a fiber-optic spool large enough to close that gap.

And when a fixed-wing drone runs out of power over open water, it’s gone. Even in an attritable world, HALIA offers the persistence to stay, the speed to redeploy, and the ability to bring it back.

Challenges

• Saltwater Durability – Proving systems can endure weeks of ocean exposure.

• Variable Buoyancy & Stability – Proving reliable transitions between floating, launch, and flight in rough seas.

• Manufacturing Scale-Up – Transitioning from prototype composites to production-rate builds.

Bottom Line:

The drone ecosystem is at an inflection point. Land-based quadcopters and Group 2 ISR drones will remain vital, but they are already sliding toward commoditization. The real opportunity lies in platforms that think differently.

LeVanta Tech’s HALIA is one of the first companies to do just that. Its “float-and-fly” design signals what I think is the next leap in unmanned systems: specialization, persistence, and survivability at sea.”

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1  The views expressed in this newsletter are my own and do not represent the views of the U.S. Navy, Department of Defense, or any government agency. Mention of companies, technologies, or products is not an endorsement or recommendation. The content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice.

2  All analysis remains independent; partnership does not influence editorial coverage.